Cotton-gin



5 Sheets-Sheet 1. 1. P. BROWN,

COTTON GIN..

(No Model.)

Patented May 12, 1885.

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I. F. BROWN.

GOTTON GIN.

' No. 317,921. Patented May 12, 1886.

k W Y W u mnmmmlll COTTON GILL No. 317,921. Patented May 12, .1885:

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(No Model.)

I. P. BROWN.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

COTTON GIN.

Patented May 12, 1885.

(No Model.) 7 5 Sheets-Sheet; 5.

I. F. BROWN.

COTTON GIN.

No. 317,921. I Patented May 12, 1885.

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ISRAEL F. BROWN, OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

COTTON-GIN.

BPlGCIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,921, dated May 12, 1885.

' Application filed Deceruber 13, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISRAEL F. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New London, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Gins; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanylng drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in cotton-gins; and the object of the invention is to produce a gin that will be as nearly automatic as possiblein its operation, and produce uniformly perfect and clean cotton 5 and to these ends the novelty consists in the construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, the same letters of reference indicate the same parts of the invention. Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of my improved cottongin as it appears set up and ready for operation. Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation, showing the position of the gearing when the gin is in operation. Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the position of the gearing when the gin is not in operation. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the opposite sideof the gin from that shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the gin proper.

1 1 is the base or skids upon which the frames 2 2 2 are mounted. 3 is the main shaft, suitably mounted in the frames 2 2 2, and 4 is a band-pulley on said shaft, to which the power is applied from the engine to operate the gin, and on this main shaft is mounted the usual gang of gin-saws, 5, the ribs 6 being placed between the saws; and 7 is the brushcylinder, which, as it takes the cotton from the saws,strikes the fiber against the inclined pins 7 ,secured to the lower ends of a series of depending strips, 8, which straighten out the fiber, which then passes onto the condensercylinder 9 and out through or between the compressing-rollers 10 11.

12 13 are the pulleys on the brush-cylinder, and belts 14 15 pass from pulleys 16 17 on the gin-saw shaft over the pulleys 12 13 on the brush-cylinder shaft and around the idlers 20 21, which gives the proper motion to the brush-cylinder, and a belt, 22, running from a pulley (not shown) on the main shaft 3, gives motion to a larger pulley, 23, on the compression-roller shaft 11, and a gear-wheel, 24, on said shaft meshes with a similar gear on the shaft 'of the other compressionroller, 10, to give both their proper motion. On the other end of the shaft of the roller 10 is a gear, 25, which meshes with a larger gear-wheel, 26, on the shaft of the condenser-cylinder, and gives it the proper motion.

A belt, 27, running from the pulley 28 on the main shaft to apulley, 29, on the countershaft 30, and a belt, 31, from a smaller pulley, 32, on said shaft 30, give motion to a second shaft, 33, through the medium of the pulley 34, and from a pulley, 35, on shaft 33 a belt, 36, passes around an idler, 36 secured to the end 37 of the hopper 38; thence down and around a pulley, 39, on the feed-roll shaft 40.

Mounted in the lower end of the hopper 38 another belt, 41, runs from a pulley, 42, on the counter-shaft 30, under a tightener-pulley, 43, to a large pulley, 44, mounted upon a stud, 45, on the shorter end of the lever 46. This tightener-pulley 43 is mounted on the longer end of a lever, 47, fulcrumed on the stud 48, and the lower end of the lever 47 is connected to a pit-- man, 49, running to an arm, 50, on the breast 51. The breast being pivoted in the hopper on the rod 52, it follows that as the breast moves it tightens or loosens the belt 41. This motion of the breast is efiected by the cotton roll in the hopper 38 becoming too large, which presses the breast outward and raises the tightenerpulley 43, which slackens the belt 41, thereby causing an intermission in the feed until the roll is diminished in size, which allows the breast to return to its normal position, lowering the pulley 43 and starting the feed again, as will be hereinafter more minutely described.

The pulley 44 has a small pinion, 53, secured to its inner side, and both are journaled on the ICO stud 45 on the lever 46, fulcrumed on the bolt 54 on the side 55 of the feeder. The outer end, 56, of said lever terminates in a handle, 57. 58 is a hook which holds this handle in place, and 59 is a stop to insure its proper position; The pinion 53 meshes with a small gear, 60, on the feeder-shaft 61, and, as shown in Fig. 1, the hook 58 holds the handle of the lever 46 down, so that the pinion 53 operates the gear on the feeder-shaft; but if the handle of the lever is released from the hook the feeder will cease to rotate, it being thrown out of gear.

62 62 are gears secured on opposite sides of the feeder 63, and they mesh with the gears 60 60 on the feeder-shaft 61, andthese gears 62 62 are provided with eccentrics 64 64 and eccentric straps 65 65, which operate the feeder-bars 66. These feeder-bars 66 form the bottom of the feeder 63, and they are provided with a series of parallel serrated sheet-metal strips, (not shown,) and as the bars are reciprocated by the eccentrics this motion carries the cotton forward to the feeder-cylinders on the shaft 61.

67 is a sliding gate in the feeder, and it may be raised or lowered by pinions on a shaft, 68, said pinions meshing in racks 69 69, whereby the feeding capacity of the hopper may be increased or diminished as desired.

On opposite ends of the shaft 70 are cranks 71 72, provided, respectively, with apitman, 73 74, extending to the gin-hopper 38, and on the outer right-hand end of said shaft 70 is a handle, 75, by means of which the shaft is operated.

The gin-hopper itself is provided with a pair of boxes, 76, which rest upon a cross'rod, 77, in such a manner that the hopper may be moved outward, as shown in Fig.13, to release the saws from the roll in the hopper, and at the same time stop the operation of the gin by reason of the slackening of the belt 36. As shown in Fig. 2, the hopper is in proper position for ginning, while in Fig. 3 the hand-lever is raised, which causes the cranks 71 72 and pitmen 73 74 to push the hopper outward from the gin proper. The outer ends of these pitmen 73 74 are attached to cast brackets secured to the ends of the hopper, one of said brackets, 73, being shown in Fig. 4.

A11 arm, 79, loosely mounted on the shaft 70, is provided with a recess, 80, which engages with the stud 36, on which the idler 36 is mounted, and serves to hold the hopper in operative position, as shown in Fig. 2. Of course this arm 79 must be raised first, so the recess 80 will release the stud 36 before the handle 57 is operated.

The cotton to be ginned is placed in the feeder 63, and is fed forward by the feeder-bars 66, as above described, and is then picked up by the feed cylinder inside the feeder and thrown against the wire screen 81, which allows the sand and grit to pass through and fall in the sand-box 82, where a conveyer, 83, operated by a belt, 84, carries it out through a spout, 85, and by means of a rubber pipe connected thereto 1 it may be discharged into any suitable receptacle. The cottomafter being separated from the grit and heavier dirt, falls into the gin-hopper and upon the feeder 40 in the lower end of the hopper 38, which loosens the cotton up, allowing the foreign matter to fall through, while it at the same time feeds it to the gin-saws. They take it up andaroll is formed in the feed-box. When the cotton is fed faster than thesaws will gin it, the roll increases in size until it presses the hinged breast 51 outward, when its arm 50 operates the pitman 49, so as to raise the tightener-pulley 43 and stop the feeder-shaft 61. This of course stops the cotton from being fed into the gin-hopper, and when the roll has diminished in size, so as to relieve the pressure on the breast 51, the spiral springs 86 86 return the breast to its normal position, and tighten up the belt 41,and start the feed-shaft 61 again.

These springs 86 86 are attached to the outer ends of a rod, 87, secured to the breast 51. This rod extends through slots 87 87 in the ends of the gin-hopper, and one end of each spring is attached to said rod, and the other end to the outside of the end of the hopper. Therefore as the roll increases in diameter the breast is pressed outward, and as the roll diminishes the springs restore the breast to its normal position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a combined gin and feeder,of the gin-hopper, the breast 51, hinged in said hopper and provided with arm 50,pitman 49, the feeder mechanism, intermediate pulleys and belt 41, and lever 47, carrying the belt-tightener pulley 43, whereby the belt driving the feeder mechanism will be tightened or slackened to control the feed when said breast is moved by the varying size of the cotton roll, as set forth.

2. In a cotton-gin, the feed-hopper 38, the hinged breast 51, provided with springs 86 86, and pitman 49, in combination with a ginfeeder, the driving-belt 41, its pulleys, and the lever 47 provided with the pulley 43, and con-- nected to said pitman 49, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a cotton-gin, of a hopper having boxes 76 on its under side,and the rod 7 7, with the shaft 7 0, having handlever 75, cranks 71 72, and pitmen 73 74,whereby the hopper may be moved outward from the top by said hand-lever to instantly stop the action of the gin, as set forth.

4. The combination, in a cotton-gin, of the hopper and hinged breast 51, provided at its upper free end with springs 86 86, whereby the breast will be drawn inward as the cotton roll diminishes in size, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the hinged hopper 38, provided with the idler 36 of the feedbelt 36, passing over said idler, so as to be taut when said hopper is in its normal position and slackened as the hopper is moved out, and the operating mechanism, substantially as shown, 1 feed mechanism, substantially as and for the and for the purpose described. IO purpose set forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 6. The combination, in a combined gin and presence of two witnesses. 5 feeder, of the feed-cylinder provided with the ISRAEL F; BROWN.

, gear-wheel 60, secured to one end thereof, the Witnesses: pinion 53, provided with and journaled in the EDWD; T. BROWN, shorter end of the hand-lever 46, and the feed- GEORGE COLFAX. 

